A remake too far?

daz · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:06

By the way guys, if you're interested in a similar kind of comedy to The Office... you'd be well worth checking out "Marion and Geoff" (specifically the first series)... with Rob Brydon (I think it's co-written by him and Steve Coogan) and it's amazingly funny but also sad and eye-opening at the same time.

Kol · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:10

Ahhhhhh Daz, the likes are quite scary. IIRC, I watched a US Office ep and Steve Coogan was a Exec Prod. but it was only one episode. Coogan is a legend.

Haven't seen Marion & Geoff in a while though.

edit - I was wrong, IMDB doesn't agree with me there.

porkrind · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:20

this will suck , V of D is dawn french .

iCraig · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:27

The Office USA is very very good and I believe it's a very successful show over there? The writing style is obviously based on the UK version but is injected with broader US humour which, IMO, gives it a bit of flavour.

The original The Office was fantastically dry but it would have gone stale after a 3rd series (the christmas specials were great but it reached the crux of what the show had to offer) however with the american version it's onto Season 3 and going strong. They've stretched out the Jim and Pam (Tim and Dawn) storyline way too far though but I guess they're saving their obvious get-together until the finale.

As for a US Vicar of Dibley, well, I'll reserve judgement until I see it. I automatically assumed the US version of the office would be a flop, but I was wrong about that.

MasterMike · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:31

iCraig said:
The original The Office was fantastically dry but it would have gone stale after a 3rd series (the christmas specials were great but it reached the crux of what the show had to offer) however with the american version it's onto Season 3 and going strong. They've stretched out the Jim and Pam (Tim and Dawn) storyline way too far though but I guess they're saving their obvious get-together until the finale.

I sort of agree - I DO like the US Office, I suppose I'm just a bit bitter that some of our greatest comedy of recent years has been turned into a US product

Ricky Gervais has always been adverse to making third series of things - he even made a reference to the fact in his "Animals" standup.

In the first, you establish your idea, in the second, it takes off, in the third ... well, I think that's his fear. My favourite comedy of all time, Spaced, only has two series. I'd like to see another, but am simultaneously worried that it would be compromised by it.

Raymond Lin · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:37

MasterMike said:
I sort of agree - I DO like the US Office, I suppose I'm just a bit bitter that some of our greatest comedy of recent years has been turned into a US product

Ricky Gervais has always been adverse to making third series of things - he even made a reference to the fact in his "Animals" standup.

In the first, you establish your idea, in the second, it takes off, in the third ... well, I think that's his fear. My favourite comedy of all time, Spaced, only has two series. I'd like to see another, but am simultaneously worried that it would be compromised by it.

I think that's a cowardly, if the idea works and has enough material it can easily last more than 2 seasons. Especially with our concept of "seasons" thats like 6 episodes. The season 1 of the US office has more episodes than the entire UK Office run put together, yet in season 3 it is Still funny.

MasterMike · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:42

Raymond Lin said:
I think that's a cowardly, if the idea works and has enough material it can easily last more than 2 seasons. Especially with our concept of "seasons" thats like 6 episodes. The season 1 of the US office has more episodes than the entire UK Office run put together, yet in season 3 it is Still funny.

I think "cowardly" is a bit harsh. The US is a different audience altogether. I don't think Ricky Gervais is a coward, just rather clever.

Raymond Lin · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:44

MasterMike said:
I think "cowardly" is a bit harsh. The US is a different audience altogether. I don't think Ricky Gervais is a coward, just rather clever.

or ran out of ideas.

Funny is funny, no matter what the audience (you can't say the UK can't stand long running shows, look at all the soaps). Surely he will get a uber bump in pay should he write a 3rd series seeing how well the first 2 did. So its not financially, its not the audience, I can't think of anything else really.

MasterMike · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:45

Raymond Lin said:
or ran out of ideas.

Funny is funny, no matter what the audience (you can't say the UK can't stand long running shows, look at all the soaps). Surely he will get a uber bump in pay should he write a 3rd series seeing how well the first 2 did. So its not financially, its not the audience, I can't think of anything else really.

I can say that what I consider greater-than-average comedy, such as The Office, has a limited audience and therefore a limited lifespan. Soaps are made for the common denominator and that is therefore moot.

Ricky Gervais has written for the US office. Also, the US one has a team of writers, as opposed to Ricky Gervais' writing setup of himself and Steve Merchant.

He would certainly get a lot of money if he did a third series here - but I have always respected Ricky Gervais in that money is not his driving factor. He has turned down million dollar advertising contracts. He is not a sellout.

Raymond Lin · 6 Feb 2007 at 23:50

MasterMike said:
I can say that what I consider greater-than-average comedy, such as The Office, has a limited audience and therefore a limited lifespan. Soaps are made for the common denominator and that is therefore moot.

Ricky Gervais has written for the US office. Also, the US one has a team of writers, as opposed to Ricky Gervais' writing setup of himself and Steve Merchant.

Still...12 episodes + Christmas specials is like half a US season.

David E Kelly wrote 5 seasons of Ally McBeal, 22 episodes a season, 45 mins each, 90% of that he wrote it solely by himself, only the latter seasons other writers came in, he also wrote The Practice at the same time, that was 2 shows co-currently at 45mins each weekly.

I don't think he is being clever in limiting it to 2 seasons, i think he just don't have the materials to do it. Simple as that, if he had lots of good ideas, why wouldn't he make more? Unless he know they suck.

Rotty · 7 Feb 2007 at 00:00

dont see a problem, short of doing it to a classic such as fawlty towers or fools and horses I can't see why it would matter

MasterMike · 7 Feb 2007 at 00:01

Raymond Lin said:
Still...12 episodes + Christmas specials is like half a US season.

David E Kelly wrote 5 seasons of Ally McBeal, 22 episodes a season, 45 mins each, 90% of that he wrote it solely by himself, only the latter seasons other writers came in, he also wrote The Practice at the same time, that was 2 shows co-currently at 45mins each weekly.

I don't think he is being clever in limiting it to 2 seasons, i think he just don't have the materials to do it. Simple as that, if he had lots of good ideas, why wouldn't he make more? Unless he know they suck.

May I say that I think Ally McBeale is utter rubbish? Although, as far as 22-episode-season US series go, I am a fan of Scrubs.

I utterly, utterly disagree with you on him running out of ideas. It's simply a British mindset. You've completely ignored that I told you that he HAS written for the US office (and it was great), and I fully believe he could write another series of the UK one if he so wished. He has, instead, decided to go on to Extras which has lasted two series (rumour has it there *may* be enough room for a third), and is currently concentrating on his standup. He has pretty much brought podcasting into the public eye (I'm not talking about your net-savvy users who have known about podcasting for years, but I haven't heard another podcast be so repeatedly referenced in the news and world media), and has plans to move into drama.

Raymond Lin · 7 Feb 2007 at 00:28

MasterMike said:
May I say that I think Ally McBeale is utter rubbish? Although, as far as 22-episode-season US series go, I am a fan of Scrubs.

I utterly, utterly disagree with you on him running out of ideas. It's simply a British mindset. You've completely ignored that I told you that he HAS written for the US office (and it was great), and I fully believe he could write another series of the UK one if he so wished. He has, instead, decided to go on to Extras which has lasted two series (rumour has it there *may* be enough room for a third), and is currently concentrating on his standup. He has pretty much brought podcasting into the public eye (I'm not talking about your net-savvy users who have known about podcasting for years, but I haven't heard another podcast be so repeatedly referenced in the news and world media), and has plans to move into drama.

Ally McBeal won Emmy's so did The Practice, so he has written for the US series, but why not for the UK one?

I am not really interested in his other plans, i am reacting to your point of him doing 2 series (if that's what you call it, it's half a series in US scale) and then moving on because you said the 3rd one will be stale? If a show got cancel after 1 season in the US its a flop, even then its still twice what Gervais wrote for the Office.

daz · 7 Feb 2007 at 00:54

Raymond, what do you think of Fawlty Towers?

(An obvious comparison to make because it only had 12 fantastic episodes...)

Is John Cleese a coward? :confused:

Raymond Lin · 7 Feb 2007 at 01:07

daz said:
Raymond, what do you think of Fawlty Towers?

(An obvious comparison to make because it only had 12 fantastic episodes...)

Is John Cleese a coward?

I remember laughing watching it, if he had lost more material for it but fear it wil bomb then yes, i call that cowardly. I call it cowardly simply because Mastermike said he had materials (reference to the US series) but fear that the UK audience won't give it a chance. If he believe his work, why not go for it, surely he believed the office was good in the first place to get it made. It can't be the money or lack of audience base, he's created both already.

Sel · 7 Feb 2007 at 01:08

I only saw a few minis of the US office and couldn't take anymore but what really gets me is why the hell do they have to change history when it comes to war films.

Also why do they feel the need remake a lot of Michael Caines films and very badley IMO.

SiriusB · 7 Feb 2007 at 01:15

Could it not simply be boredom?

Raymond Lin · 7 Feb 2007 at 01:16

SiriusB said:
Could it not simply be boredom?

And then went and write for the US series ?

MasterMike · 7 Feb 2007 at 01:39

Like I said, it's a difference in mindset for the populace that the show is aiming for. For a long time, six episodes has been the standard for a series in this country.

manveruppd · 7 Feb 2007 at 02:15

Slightly OT, but I wonder what the cost to the licensee is for them to purchase the rights to remake a series. Would the copyright-holder charge them less than they would charge to syndicate the series, or about the same?